Cup holders are known to allow the users of a vehicle to safely store their beverages without the risk of spilling liquid in the vehicle. Specifically, some of the cup holders are preferably retractable such that they do not occupy space in the compartment of the vehicle when they are not in use. However, even in the retracted position, part of the holder element remains visible to the users, for example a front flap or another actuation element which has to be accessible to move the holder element to its deployed position. Such a visible part can be detrimental to the aspect of the interior of the vehicle and also does not appeal aesthetically.
Furthermore, the holder elements generally occupy an important space in the retracted position. For example, holder elements which can be moved as drawers between the retracted and deployed positions require a large space to store the holder elements in the retracted position.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a mechanism for holding article in the storage compartment which can overcome few or all of the disadvantage of the prior art.